 | Letters
Origins of Christian literature
Re: “Honest Christian Writing,” Jan. 24
I’d like to thank Jonathan Dawe for raising his concerns about the stigma of Christian literature. But I would like to call him on promulgating a popularly held myth that taints the character and work of Charles Darwin. Dawe attributes the origins of fundamentalism to a Protestant response to Darwin’s attack on Christianity.
Charles Darwin was a man whose curiosity and observations of the natural world led to the publication of “The Origin of Species,” which radically changed the perception of biology. It is true that in his theory of evolution, Darwin found for himself an explanation for a world where senseless death consumes the weak, including his own daughter. It gave strength to his bitterness against God, to the point where he could deny the existence of a benevolent God. His personal beliefs though were not injected into his presentation of evolutionary theory. His faith in science was certainly not an attack on the faith in Christ that is held by others. In fact, Asa Gray and Charles Hodge, two of Darwin’s greatest defenders in the world of science and theology respectively, were devout Calvinists who agreed with all of Darwin’s theory except for the denial of teleological design. As evidenced by these two figures, Darwin’s theories were not rejected by American Protestants, but actually embraced by them.
Dawe refers specifically to Darwin’s theories on the origins of humanity. His thoughts on this issue were basically restricted to an application of evolutionary theory to human behavior, specifically how sexual selection is the driving force of human evolution. But that is the topic of another story.
Noah Kruis ’03
The debate over Campus Safety
Everyone jokes about Campus Safety. But what if Campus Safety represented a greater evil? A tragedy, if you will.
What is one of the main duties of a Campus Safety officer? Regulating the parking lots, writing tickets and making sure students come to a complete stop at every single stop sign on campus. Is it really a problem to park for 45 minutes instead of the 30 that the short-term parking areas allow? Will John Calvin roll over in his grave and area Christian Reformed churches pull their support if Kalsbeek-Huizenga students park in the Schultze-Eldersveld parking lot on the other side of the East Beltline? Something tells me no.
But if Campus Safety spent more time patrolling for potential crime instead of writing tickets for trivial offenses, then where would Calvin’s extra $5,000 (or whatever the obscene amount may be) ticket income come from?
It seems to me that this supposedly Christian institution is expending more effort on painfully extracting more money from its already impoverished students than it is working on ways to better their lives. The Broene Center, for example, is painfully understaffed. So much so that students in dire need of professional counseling are forced to see their psychologist once a month, instead of once a week like they should. Maybe another psychologist should be hired?
Or would it be too much to ask for the library and ITC center to be open on Sunday? Perhaps resources should be used to staff them? Last time I checked, if wasn’t a crime to learn on Sunday. And I don’t know any churches that last all day, so studying wouldn’t be taking students away from church. And if Campus Safety officers can write tickets on Sunday, why can’t librarians scan my ID so I can check out books?
If a student accumulates too many parking tickets, Campus Safety sends them a letter telling them that they are exhibiting “disrespect and lack of regard for the…regulations at Calvin.” The letter goes on to say that “parking and traffic regulations are important to [Calvin] in [their] efforts to facilitate a well-functioning college environment…”
Apparently to Bob Crow, well-functioning does not imply mentally healthy, well-read students, but rather students who park in the right parking lot and for the legally allotted amount of time. Perhaps the Dean of Student Development should work on developing a healthy, knowledgeable student body rather than the wallet of Calvin College.
name withheld
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